Controller for hoisting engines



June 2, 1925.- v 1,540,631

A. E. JOHNSON CQNTROLLER FOR HOISTING ENGINES Filed Dec. 15, 1925 .4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1m "11 I Hum IHIIHWEHHWI fllfred E. Job/25029.

June 2, 1925. 1,540,631

A. E. JOHNSON CONTROLLER FOR HOISTING ENGINES Filed Dec. 15, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Svwzpfoz fllfred E JM/iW/i.

June2, 1925. 1,540,631

A. E. JOHNSON CONTROLLER FOR HOISTING ENGINES Filed Dec. 15 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet gnvanfoz :4 Alfred E. Jvlmiw.

JuneZ, 1925. 1,540,631

A. E. JOHNSON CONTROLLER FOR HOISTING ENGINES Filed Dec. 15, 1923 4 Sheets-Shed 4 fill/red 547019225012 Patented June 2, 1925.

.ALrn-Enn. JOHNSON, or DENVER, cotoanno.

C(JIKHLROLIILLEJR. FOB I-IOISTING ENGINES.

Applicationfiled- December 15, 1923. Serial No. $0,876.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, ALFRED E. J oHNsoN,

a citizen ofthe United States, residingat Denver, the city and county of Denver, and State-of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controllers for Hoisting Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters ofv reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to controllers for hoisting engines and is designed more particularly with respect to the requirements of the service in mines.

In mines of various kinds, it is often necessary to hoist the material from the level at which the mining is done to the surface of the ground and to some distance above the ground where the material is dumped. In many cases the .mine shafts are deep and it is essential that the hoist shall operate with the greatest efficiency consistent with safety. This necessitates a high speed of. the hoist between landings and a gradual slowing up at the bottom and at the top. The same hoists that are employed during working hours, for hoisting ore or coal, are also employed for lifting the men from the mine and for lowering them there- .into. It is obvious that when the hoists are employed for handling men, they must be run at a much slower speed than when other wise employed and the hoist must also be slowed up to a greater extent before stopping. IVhen-the hoists are used for handling ore, the baskets are run up to a con siderable distance above the ground and automatically dun'lped. This, of course, cannot be done when men are being handled and on such occasions the -hoists are stopped at the mandanding near the surface of the ground.

A successful hoisting engine controller must be so constructed that it will provide for all the conditions above enumerated. It

must limit the speed toward the end of travel in both directions so that when the end is reached, the speed is such that the stop can be safely made. It must permit the maximum safe speed between the top and bottom; it must stop the hoist and cut oil the power whenever the speed exceeds the predetermined maximum andwhen the hoist is used for handling men, the maximum speed must be reduced to that considered safe for this purpose; and it must provide posltlve means that will prevent the men from being carried'to the ore dump.

It is the'object of this invention to produce a controller of simple and substantial construction, which shall be so constructed and designed that it will meet all the qualifications above enumerated in an eflicient and effective manner.

My invention can be best understood and most clearly explained when reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which the present is illustrated, and in which;

Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved controller with the cover removed from the casing and parts shown broken to better disclose-the mechanism;

preferred embodiment thereof Fig. 2 is aside elevation of my device I taken on line 3-3,

F i 6 is a. side-elevation, of the switch i b viewed in the direction of arrow 6 in Fig. 5;

Fig. is a fragmentaryv view, similar to that in Fig.1 and shows the position of the parts at what is the extreme limit of travel in one directions Fig. 8 is a view similar to that in Fig. 7 and shows the relation of the parts during the greater part oft-ravel of the hoistyand Fig. 9 is a diagrammaticrepresentation of the parts: i

The same reference characters will be used to'designate the same parts throughout the several VIEWS, 3 I i Number 1 represents a. box or casing secured alum; upper end of a pedestalZ whose i shaft at a, point intermediate the gear 7 and the collar 8 and this cooperates with a worm gear 11, which thereforerota'tes at a speed proportional to the speed of the shaft 1. A sprocket wheel 12 is fastened to the end of the shaft and is intended to be operatively connected with the hoisting drum of the hoist. It is evident that when the shaft is connected with the drum of the hoist, it will rotate at a speed that corresponds to the speed of the drum and of the hoist. Y The worm gear 11 is of such size and the pitch of the worm is so designed that gear 11 will be rotated slightly less than 360 degrees for the total travel of the hoist in either direction, as it is desirable that it shall never make a complete revolution.

A tubular shaft 13 is mounted in bearings 14 and 15 and has secured thereto a gear wheel 16, which meshes with the gear wheel 1. A collar 17 ,held in place by a set screw 18, cooperates with the gear 16 to prevent shaft 13 from moving longitudinally. WVithin the shaft 13 there is a. rod 19, which projects from both ends of the shaft in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Secured to shaft 13 at a point intermediate its ends is a flanged collar 20 held in place by a set screw 21 or by any other suitable means. On one side of the flange 22 and at diametrically opposite points are pairs of ears 23 between which is' pivoted the bell-crank lever of the centrifugal governor means 24. A collar 25 is slidably but non-rotatably mounted on shaft 13 and is connected to the bar 19 by means of a bolt 26, which passes through the longitudinal slots 27 and into the bar 19. The inner ends of the bell-crank levers engage the side of the collar 25 that is nearest to the flange 22. A spring 28 (Fig. 1) surrounds the endof bar 19 and, has one end abutting the outer endof the shaft 13'. A nut 29 on the end of the bar 19 serves as an abutment for the other end of spring 28 and as a means for regulating 'the tension of the same. A cap 30 fits over the end of shaft 13 and encloses the spring 28 and nut 29. hen the collar 25 is moved toward the left, as it will be when the shaft 13 is rotated at a high speed, the bar 19 will also be moved toward the left against the action of spring 28. The collar 25, has diametrically spaced lugs or cars 31, which have threaded engagementwith theends of bolts 32 that also pass through holes in the flange. 22. Springs 33 surround the bolts 32 on the side of flange 22 opposite to that of the movable collar 25. These springs are not under tension at all times and come into operation only, at high speeds. It is now apparent that when the hoist is in operation, that shafts i and 13will be rotated and that the centrifugal governor means will move the collar 25 toward the left against the tension of spring 28 and at high speeds against. the combined resistanceof springs 28 and 33 and thereby moves rod 19 towards the left.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3, it will be noticed that the rod 19 does not extend entirely through the shaft 13,- but terminates at X. A separate bar 19 eX- tends from the point X a short distance outside ,of the end of shaft 13. The bar 19 re tates with shaft 13, while the bar 19 does not rotate, but is moved longitudinally by the bar '19 and the action of the spring 77 (Figs. 7 and 8).

Secured to the extreme lefthand'end-of rod 19 is an arm 34: (Figs. 2 and 3) whose outer end passes through a suitable opening in the lower end of the floating lever 35, which therefore moves in accordance with the movements of the rod 19 or the speed of the hoist. The upper end of lever 35 is pivoted at 36 between the spaced ears of the member 37, which is threadedly connected to the outer end of a rod 38. lever 39 is non-rotatably secured to the rod 38 and when this lever is moved from the normal (full line position, Fig. 2), to the dotted line position (Fig.2), it causes the member 37 to rotate on the threaded rod 38 and to move outwardly towards the left thereof. This is done when the hoist is to be used for handling men and changes the sensitiveness of the controller in a manner that will become apparent as the description proceeds. The member 410 is a stop which limits the movement of the lever 39. The rod 38 extends to the inside of the casing and terminates in a head 411, which lies in the plane of rotation-of the cams A2 and 13. These cams are mounted on the gear'wheel 11 and areadjustable relative to the wheel and to each other; With theparts in the position shown in Figs- '1 and 8,.let us suppose that the gear 11 rotates in a counterclockwise direction. The end of cam 42 will soon engage the head 41' and gradually move the rod 38 towards the left, carrying with it the upper end "of the floating lever 35. When the cam 4:2 has reached the position shown in Fig. 7 the head 41 is about to be engaged by the projection 44 and any further movement of the cam will cause the rod 38 to move quickly toward the left a sufficient distance to render the stopping mechanism of the controller instantly operative. The position of the cams with the A weighted projection 44in contact with the head 41, corresponds to the extreme travel of the hoist and beyond which it must never pass. It is evident from the above description that the floating lever 35 has one end moved in accordance with the speed of the hoist and the other end occupying a position dependent upon the position of the hoist and that the upper end can be moved outwardly by means of lever 39. a

I will now explain the mechanism by means of which the controller operates to stop the hoist whenever the speed is too great or when the end of the hoist travel has been reached.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. '1 and 2, it will be noted that I have secured to the pedestal 2 near the bottom thereof a member 45 having on one side a bearing 46, within which is journaled a shaft 47. To the righthand end of this shaft (Fig. 1) is secured a crank 48 to the outer end of which is pivoted a rod 49 which is so connected to the hoisting machinery that its movement to the right (Fig. 2) will cut ofl the power and apply the brakes. To the lefthand end of shaft 47, Fig. 1, I secure a crank arm 50 similar to crank arm 48 and to this arm I JOlt a flat bar 51 on which is a weight 52 adjustable longitudinally thereof and held in adjusted position by means of a set screw 53. Secured to the upper end of'bar 51 is a lever 54 which has a hook 55 near its free end. This hook is adapted to engage a pin 56 secured to the casing wall whereby the bar 51 and weight 52 is held. Located directly below the pin 56 is an electromagnet 57 supported on the horizontal arm of an lnshaped soft iron member 58. To the up per end of the vertical portion of the vertical arm I pivot an armature 59. One end of the armature has a number of openings 60, to which is secured a Weight 61 that tends to move the armature in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot (Fig. 2).

, hen the magnet is energized and the armature is raised into the full line position shown in Fig. 2, it will be held in that position by theaction ofthe magnet, but as soon as the magnet is de-energized the weight will cause the armature to move about its pivot. The end of the armature that is directly over the electromagnet has a portion thereof directly underneath the arm and when it moves upwardly, it strikes this arm and moves it off from the hook. This allows the bar 51' to rotate into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 thereby cutting off the power and applying the brakes so as to cause the hoist to come to a sudden stop.

I will now explain how the magnet is deencrgizcd when the speed becomes excessive, and as the hoist approaches the extreme limits of its travel.

I have already explained how the floating lever 35 is influenced by the action of the governor, the camsand by the action of the lever 39, and shall now explain in what man nor the movements of these parts control the action of the electromagnet.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 7, 8 and 9 and to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, Iv will first explain the construction and operation of the switch, which is shown with greater on less detail in Figs. 4,5 and 6. An angle iron bracket 62 has one side provided with perforations 63, through which rivets or. bolts may be passed for the purpose of securing it to the side of the casing 1. To the other side of the angle 62, I have secured a piece of electrical insulating material 64, which has two spaced electrical con.- tacts 65 and 66, the latter being in electrical contact with a spring 67. A lever 68 is pivoted at 69 to the plate 64. Secured to this lever is a member 70 of insulating material. Secured to member 70 is an electrical conductor 71, which is adapted to contact with both of the pins 65 and 66 so as to permit an electric current to flow from oneto the other. A second insulating member 72 is pivoted at 69 and'contacts with the surface of the lever 68 and a plate 73 in such a manner that the friction will besuflicientto move the same about'its pivot. l/Vhen lever 68 ismoved in a counter-clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 1, the contact plate will be moved out of contact with the pins 65 and 66 and the corresponding contact plate 7 4," which is carried by arm 72, moved into contact. During the time that either of the cams 4201- 43 are in contact with head 41, the contact member-71 will be inoperativeand during the time that the relative movement ofthe cam and the head is from the toe to the heel of the cam, the contact plate 74 will make contact with pins 65 and 66. As soon as the direction of movement of? the cam is reversed so that thehead 41 moves from the heel to the toe, then lever 68 will move in a clockwise direction and arm 72 will be moved against the stop 75. During this movement of the cams there will therefore be no electrical contact between pins 65 and 66, which has an important result in the operation ofthe controller, and which will i appear as the description proceeds;

Let us now refer to Figs. 1, 7, 8 and 9, it will be noticed that I have connected a rod 76 to the floating lever 35 at a point sub stantially midway between its ends. This rod passes through the side of the casing and through a helical spring 77. A pair of nuts 78 serve as an abutment. for the spring which is under compression, and exerts a force tending to move the bar to the right. Rod 76 carries on its end an insulating member 79 to which. the adjustable electrical contact 80 is secured. It will, be noticed that contact 80 is moved towards spring 67 when the governor operates, and is also moved in the same direction when the cams move the head 41 toward the left. As long as the cams do not make connection with head 41, the movement of the contact 80 is controlled entirely by the action of the governor and the partsare so adjusted that con tactsv 67- and 80 will touch only when the speed is very high so that the operator may run the hoist as fast as consistent with safety. Asthe hoist approaches either limit of its travel, one or the other of the cams will engagethe head 41 and move it outwardly thereby moving the contact80 closer to the contact 67 and as a result the speed at which the hoist can be operated will be reduced. l Jhen the projection 44 of either cam comes into contact with the head 41, the movement of the floating lever will be sufficient to close the contact between 67 and 80, even if the governor is in inoperative position. I 7

Referring now to Fig. 9,where the main parts are shown diagrammatically, we will trace the electrical connections. sume 81 to bea source of electrical energy such as a dynamo, conductors 82 and 83 extend from the source ,to the magnet 51.j A lamp 84is connected in series with the magnet, which is so wound that the currentthat passes through the lamp will energize it to the extent required to hold the armature 59 against the action of the weight 61. All electrical conductor 85 connects the contact pin 65 with the wire 82 at a point between the lamp and the magnet and another con ductor 86 connects contact 80 with the wire 83. It is now evident that as longas the pins 65v and 66; are connected through either contact plate 71 or '74, the electromagnet will be short circuited whenever contact 80' makes electrical connectionwith the contact 67 lVhenever this occurs,-the magnetwill be de-energized andarmature 59 willbe released andmove about its pivot, striking arm 54 and moving it off from the pin 56,

I thereby permitting arm 51 to rotate and cut off the power to the hoist and at the same timeset the brakes.

- It has been heretofore explained how the contacts 65 and 66 are electrically connected by either plate 71 or 7 4 during the time that the head 41 moves from the toe to the heel of the cam 42, as during this time the lever 68 is continually moving outwardly or to the left. During .this part of the travel of the hoist,.the magnet'will be de-energized whenever contact 80 makes connection with 67.

As the hoist is reversed, the cams move in such a direction that head 41 moves from the heel to the toe and lever 68 will therefore rotate in a clockwise direction. This moves the connector74 away from pins 65 and 66 Let us as- I and as the corresponding plate 71 does not come into contact with the pins as long as head 41 is in contact with the cam, it is evident that during this portion of the movement ofthe hoist the magnet 51 cannot be de-energized and this permits the operator to speed the hoist from the beginning of each return movement A spring 87 cooperates with the lever 68 and exerts a force tending to rotate it in a clockwise direction. I want to call attention to the function of springs 38. These springs are so short that when the governor is inoperative, they are not under compression; in fact, they do not become effective until the hoist has reached a certain speed. The result of this is that when the hoist slows down',the governor will remain stationary at the point where the spring ceases to function, until the speed has decreased a large amount.

When the hoist is used for handling men, the lever 39 is rotated against the stop .40 and this moves the upper end of lever 35 outwardly, thereby decreasing the gap be tween 67 and 80 so that a less speed of the governor will de-energize the magnet.

Thecams 43 and 44 are adjustable and can be set to conform to any desired length of travel of the hoist.

y The operation of my controller is as follows z vVhen the hoist is at one end of its travel, the parts are in the position shown. in Fig. 7. The direction of travel is then re versed-and the cam 42 moves upwardly so that the head 41 slides along the cam from the heel to the toe. This opens the electrical connection between 65 and 66. WVhen the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 8, then pins 65 and 66 will be electrically connected by plate 71. s The controller is now dependent 'upon the action of the governor alone. 1When the hoist approaches the other end of its travel, cam 43 will engage head 41 and gradually move the upper end of" the floating lever outwardly, thereby decreasing the space between 67 and 80. The speed of the hoist must then be decreased in order to prevent the controller frombecoming operacorresponding to the speedof the hoist, a

lever having one end operatively connected with said governor so as to be moved thereby, a switch contact connected to said lever at a point intermediate its ends, a shaft operatively connected with the governor so as to I gal governor adapted to be operatively con nected to the hoist so as to rotate at a speed corresponding to the speed of the hoist, a lever having one end operatlvely connected vith said governor so as to be movedthereby,

a switch contact connected to said lever at a point inteii'medlate its ends, a shaft operatively connected with the governor so as to rotate at a speed proportional to the speed of the governor, a pair of cams connected to said shaft, a plunger operatively connected to the other end of the-lever and lying in the path oifsaid cams so as to be engaged thereby, said cams when they engage the plunger moving the lever in a direction that tends to close the switch, and an electromagnet connected in'parallel with the contacts of said switch.

3. A controller for use in connection with hoists, said controller comprising a centrifugal governor adapted. to be operatively connected to the hoist so as to rotate at a speed corresponding to the speed of the hoist, a lever having one end operatively connected with said governor so as to be moved thereby, a shaft operatively con-,

nected to the shaft of the governor so as to rotate in unison therewith, a pair of cams connected to'said shaft, a plunger operatively connected to the other end of said lever, said plunger projecting into the path. of said cams so as to be engaged thereby, whereby said cams, when they engage said plunger, move the end of thelever.

4. A controller for stopping hoists when the same exceeds a predetermined speed and at the ends of the travel comprising a pair of cams rotatable about an axis, means for rotating said cams at a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, a speedresponsive device, means for imparting thereto a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, means for applying brakes to the hoisting device and for cutting off the power, said means comprising a floating lever having one end operatively connected to the speed-responsive device so as to be moved thereby in response to the variations in speed of the hoist, the other end of said lever having means attached thereto which projects into the path of the cams so that it will be moved when the cams occupy certam positions, means connected to said lever at point intermediate its ends for causing a stop device to become operative when engaged there-- ge the plungers' at the ends of the ever said last-mentioned d etermined distance. 7

A controller for stopping hoists when the same exceeds a predetermined speed and at the ends of the travel, comprising a pair of cams rotatable about an axis, means for rotating said cams at a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, a speed-responsive device, means for imparting thereto a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, means for applying brakes to the hoisting device and for cutting comprising a floating lever having one end means move a preoperatively connected to the speed-respon sive device so as to be moved thereby in response to the variations in speed of the hoist, the other end of said lever having means attached thereto which projects into the pathof the cams so that it will be moved when the camsoccupy certain positions, an electromagnet, an armature pivotally connected adjacent said magnet in such a position that one end of the armature'may. rest on the end of the magnet so as to be' held thereby when the latter is energized, a source. of electrical energy, means con necting said source to the magnet so as to energize the same, a resistance in series with the electromagnet, electrical switching devices for short circuitingnthe electromagnet, andmeans connected to said lever at a point intermediateits length for rendering said switching devices operative on predetei mined conditions. I

6. A controller for. stopping hoists when the same exceeds a predetermined speed and of cams'rotatable about an axis, means for rotating said cams at a' speed'proportional. to the speed of the. hoist, aspeed-respon-i sive device, means for imparting thereto a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, means for applying brakes to the'hoisting device and for cutting off the power, said meanscomprising a floating lever having one end operatively connected to the speedi'esponsive device so as to be moved thereby in response to the variations in speed of the hoist, the other end of said lever having means attached thereto which projects into the path of the cams so that it will be moved when the cams occupy certain positions, an electromagnet, an armature pivotally connected adjacent said magnet in such a position that one end of the armature may rest on the end of'the magnet so as to be held thereby when the latter is energized, a source of electrical energy, means connect ing said source to the magnet so as to en ergize the same, a resistance in series with. the electromagnet, electrical switching devices for short circuiting the electromagnet, said switching devices comprising a normally closed switch and a normally open switch in series therewith, said normally oil the power, said means i travel, comprising a pair closed switch being under control of said cams, and means connected to said lever intermediate its ends for closing said nor mally open switch under predetermined conditions. e

7. A controller for stopping hoists when the same exceeds a predetermined speed and at the ends of the travel, comprising a pair of cams rotatable about an axis, means for rotatingsaid cams at'a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, a speed-responsive device, means for imparting thereto a speed proportional to the speed of the hoist, means for applying brakes to the hoisting device and'for cutting off the power, said means-comprising a floating lever having one end operatively connected to the speedresponsive device so as to be moved thereby in response to the variations in speed of the hoist, the other end of said lever having means attached thereto which projects into the path of the cams so that it will be moved when the cams occupy certain positions," an electromagnet, an armature pivotally connected adj acent'said magnet in such a position that one end of the armature may rest on the end of the magnet so as to be held thereby'when the latter is energized, a source of electrical'energy, means connecting said sourceitothemagnet so as to energize the same, a resistance in series with the electromagnet, electrical switching devices for short circuitingthe electromagnet, said switching devices comprising a normally closed switchand a. normally open switch in series there-with, Said normally closed switch being under control of said cams, said cam and said normally closed switch being provided with means 'for opening the switch when the direction of move mentis reversed at each end of the hoist travel whereby the hoist may travel at a high rate or" speed at the beginning of each trip, and means connected to said lever; in-: termediate its ends for closing said nor-. mally open switch under predetermined conditions.

8. In a hoist control device in combination a floating lever, a speed-responsive device operatively' connected to one end of the lever so as to vary the position thereof,

a pair of rotatable cams, means for rotatmg the cams at a: speed proportional tothe speed of a hoist, meanssecured to the other end of said floating lever and projecting into the path of said cams, whereby the latter will move the end of the lever, and means connected to said floating lever intermediate its ends for controlling a hoist brake and a power cutoff. V

9. In a hoist control device in combina tion a floating lever, a speed-responsive de vice operatively connected to one end of the lever so as to vary the position thereof,

a pair of rotatable cams, means for rotating the cams at a speed proportional to the speed of a hoist, means secured to the other end of said floating lever and projecting into the path of said cams, whereby the latter will move the end of the lever, and means connected to said floating lever intermediate its ends tor controlling a hoist brake and a power cutoff.

10. In a hoist control device in combination a floating lever, a speed-responsive device operatively connected to one end of the lever soas' to vary the position thereof, a pair of rotatable cams, means for rotating the cams at a speed proportional to the speed of a hoist, means secured to the other end of said floating lever and projecting into the path of said cams, whereby the latter willflm'ove the end of the lever, a normally closedswitch, means comprising said cams for opening said switch at certain points in the travel of a hoist, a normally open switch, and means connected to the floating lever at a point intermediate its ends for closing said normally open switch under predetern'iined conditions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' ALFRED E. JOHNSON. 

